The present disclosure is related to a support apparatus for supporting a patient. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a bed that can be manipulated to achieve both a conventional bed position having a horizontal support surface and a chair position having the feet of the patient on or adjacent to the floor and the head and back of the patient supported above a seat formed by the bed.
It is known to provide beds that have a head siderail assembly coupled to a head portion of the support surface and a foot siderail assembly coupled to a seat portion of the support surface. The siderail assemblies may be movable independently of one another between a raised position and a lowered position. The siderail assemblies may be used in the raised position to retain patients resting on the support surface and in the lowered position to transfer patients from the bed to another support apparatus, allow a caregiver improved access to the patient, or to help with entering and exiting the bed.
It is also known that patients egress from a side of the bed. Before the patient is able to egress, the patient must rotate the patient's body on the support surface to face toward the side, swing the patient's legs over the side of the bed, and remain sitting in an upright position without support from the support surface to the patient's back. Such coordinated movement to egress from the side of the bed may be difficult for some patients. As a result, egress from the chair position of the bed may be more suitable to some patients. With the bed in the chair position, the patient begins with the patient's feet resting on the floor, the patient sitting in the upright position, and the patient's back being supported by the support surface. To egress from the bed, the patient supports a portion of the patient's weight on the support surface on each side of the patient or on a caregiver standing next to the bed. The patient then leans forward and transfers the remaining weight to the patient's feet.